From the Sky
by PyroSprite64
Summary: The cat-girl has awakened. Knives makes very tactless conversation. Vash and Meryl are beyond confused, and Milly just wants to take her nap! Lol, r&r, 3rd chapter, whoo!
1. Chapter 1: It came from the sky

From the Sky  
  
By, Miroku aka PyroSprite64  
  
Author's Note: Konnichiwa minna-san! I've got my second fic going! Yay! This one is VERY different from the first one, and I'm doing it on my own this time! I'm so proud. It takes place one week after the ending of the final episode of Trigun, so a MAJOR spoiler warning. If you have not watched the entire series, or read the manga, then click on your back button and go finish it! It's bad for your health. Uh, yeah. Oh! That's right, I don't own Trigun, no matter how much I fantasize about it, so don't sue me! It was the monkeys, I swear! Vile little things. Eheh, ok, let the fic begin! AS always, R&R, or I'll be forced to let loose the Whining Hyenas of Istanbul! *Crickets chirp* Um, yeah, *shifty eyes* Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Vash the Stampede sighed as the door to his shared home with the Insurance Girls closed behind him. It had been one week since he and Knives returned to the town where Meryl Stryfe (Strife?) and Milly Thompson had taken him in only a few weeks before. Luckily, Knives had not died, though he had suffered severe blood loss, due to the bullet holes in both shoulders and thighs.  
  
Vash brushed a lock of blonde hair out of his eyes and breathed in the dry desert air. The twin suns were setting, their brilliance barely warding off the imminent darkness. Vash started walking. A good walk usually cleared his mind and helped him think better. Knives was going to be fine. The doctor had told him the bullets had managed to miss any vital tendons, and Knives' regenerating abilities were already kicking in. There, however, laid the problem. How the hell was Vash going to keep knives from returning to his old ways as soon as he healed? For now, at least, the sadistic man was completely paralyzed. Yet, how long would it take for him to be up and on his way? Would Vash and the girls go to bed one night, never to wake again, condemned by the bullets in their hearts? Vash shook his head. No way would he allow that to happen. He'd send Meryl and Milly to someplace far away if need be, before he'd let any harm come to them. They had stayed with him through the worst, shown him far more kindness and caring than Vash felt he deserved. No one was going to hurt them while he still breathed, and especially not his brother.  
  
Vash sighed again and pushed his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants, standing still in the shade of a large dune. He stared up at the sky, as the stars slowly started to claim it. Soon the moons would rise, and one in particular would be there to glare at him with it's one eye. The hole Vash had put there, in what seemed like so many years, decades, ago. Vash closed his eyes as a warm breeze licked at his face and neck, drying the perspiration that had started to bead on his forehead with his efforts of walking through the shifting sands.  
  
'Knives, brother, what am I going to do with you when you wake? Will you ever see the error of your ways?'  
  
Vash slowly lost himself in thought, as memories of good and bad came back to him. Wolfwood's resigned face as he trudged away to die in solitude at the local church. Meryl staring at him when she thought he wasn't looking. Rem, approaching her crazed crew mate as he leveled a gun at her heart, only to look at him with pleading eyes and murmur her soothing words. Finally the young features of Knives, half-hidden by the dark of their escape pod, as his first revealing of his sociopath nature became evident on his childish face.  
  
'What am I going to do?'  
  
Suddenly a bright flare of light played on Vash's closed eyelids, causing him to open them involuntarily. He looked around, searching the iles of dunes and sand for the source of the harsh glow. Another flash drew Vash's aqua eyes upward. The sight made him gasp with awe and surprise. A ship, small enough to be a pod, and shaped like an egg with fins, was hurtling across the twilight sky at an alarming speed. It had been the glint of the dying sun rays on shining metal that had nearly blinded him the second time around. Vash followed it's flight across the horizon as it fell in a graceful arc to a cluster of hilly dunes that could almost be mistaken by the untrained eye for mountains. Vash felt the curiosity rising in him, as well as a sort of excitement. Had he just witnessed the crash landing of another alien species? Would they be anything like himself? How many were there? Would there be any attractive females? Could they possibly like donuts? These questions and a million more rushed through his mind as he took off at a fast paced jog over the sand.  
  
Vash had just topped the dune that separated him from the alien craft, when the explosion blew, sending chunks of chrome and metal for one last flight through the sky. A whooshing noise, much like the sound of air flowing through the rocks crags just outside of town, reached Vash's sensitive ears as he slid down the slope. Vash moved closer to the pod, trying to get a better view through the smoke and flames. An oval hole in the ship's exterior became visible, smoke billowing out in a slow haze. Brief electrical sparks and flashes brightened the dark interior. Vash took a few cautious steps closer, trying vainly to make out any shapes or forms in the dim light. He was just convincing himself to get closer to look inside when a shadow lurched forward from the pod's dark depths and collapsed on the desert sand. Vash stared, dumbfounded. It didn't move. Vash inched towards the mass of indistinct features, trying to get as close as possible without being in touching distance. Could it be the alien? Would it be friendly? Vash looked down on the motionless form that lay at his feet. It didn't look like it could attack him, if it was hostile. Even so. Vash drew his gun from it's ever-present holster, and took one more step, peering down at the alien. What he saw was not what he had expected.  
  
In stead of green, reptilian skin, a furry, humanoid body lay face down in the sand, features hidden by a lush mane of curly orange hair. Short fuzz covered it from head to toe. Mystified, Vash turned the limp body over with a boot-clad foot. The alien was female, that was fairly evident, Vash noticed with a soft smile. Scantily clothed in a tight blue and yellow-striped vest and shorts, she was barefoot, save for a few strips of the same colored material tied around the main pads of her feet. Her legs were rather oddly shaped, like the hind quarters of a cat, though they were long and thin. Claws replaced her finger and toe nails. She looked to be an interesting mix of what Vash could only assume was cat and human. She even had ears protruding through her thick locks. Fangs were visible in her open maw, and a ridge of whisker-like fur ran across high cheek bones. A gash in her right cheek was bleeding dark blood onto flaming fur. Vash stared unblinkingly in awe at the odd entity before him, his trigger hand limp at his side. Where did she come from? What planet could produce such bizarre life forms? Vash studied the exotic face, wonder making him careless. He nearly had a heart attack when her eyes flicked open and a hand darted out to grasp his ankle. Hard hazel eyes studied him intently as claws pierced right through Vash's leather boot and into his leg. Vash whimpered, and felt sure that his socks would be soaked with his blood in minutes.  
  
However, she must have seen something in him that she approved of. She loosened her grip on his ankle, breathing raggedly, never taking her cat-eyes off his. Suddenly she hissed, as her body began to shake with uncontrollable spasms. She arched her back and snarled animalisticly, breath coming out in hyper ventilated gasps. Her pupils were so narrowed with her distress and pain that they were almost non-existent. Her lips moved, but only what seemed like snarls came out. Vash crouched down beside her, putting a tentative hand on a gaping wound that graced her muscular waist. She growled softly, but made no move to harm him. Instead, her lips moved again, this time jabbering in some foreign language Vash had never, in his 130-some-odd years of life, heard before.  
  
"I'm, sorry, but I don't understand," Vash said haltingly.  
  
The alien girl blinked at him, then grinned slightly, only to be wracked by painful spasms. She still had a loose hold on his ankle, which tightened, though minus the painfully sharp claws.  
  
"Help, me," she said, choking on her own words. Her voice was like a cat's purr, sultry and warm, though ridden with fierce pain.  
  
Vash blinked. Had she just spoken to him? Her eyes were starting to roll in odd directions.  
  
"Please," she gasped through gritted teeth, "help me."  
  
Vash looked around, unsure of what to do. From the look of the gash in the cat-girl's side, she was in serious need of medical attention, but who in their right mind would give work on an alien crossbreed? Vash snorted at himself. Probably the same doctor who patched up two humanoid plants, no questions asked. But, how was he going to keep her hidden? If he took this cat-girl back into town, he'd have everyone at his throat for taking on a monster. Vash looked down. She didn't look very old, late teens, early twenties maybe. She wasn't as furry as he recalled either. In fact, she looked less like a cat and more like a girl. Vash sat back with a start. Her hair was actually receding into her skin, revealing a soft brown pallor. Her claws were turning into regular nails, and her mane was shorter, less bushy. She still had ears and fangs though, ands all her wounds remained. Vash sighed. There was no question, he couldn't leave her now. She looked too human, too young. Maybe he could say she was Hungarian, to explain the teeth, and cover up the ears with a scarf. Sighing again, Vash tore a strip from his plain shirt to cover the major wound on her flank, then lifted the limp body into his arms. As he headed back to town, it occurred to him that he didn't even know her name.  
  
"Oh, won't Meryl just looove that," Vash muttered to himself.  
  
He imagined Meryl's face when he would walk in the front door with a half-naked, bleeding young female with cat-ears and fangs. Vash winced, and started bolstering himself for the screech-fest that was sure to come, trying to think of thins to say that wouldn't sound too asinine. He was too wrapped up with the face of an enraged Meryl in his mind to notice a pair of jaded eyes watching him from the cover of a small rock outcropping.  
  
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Meryl stood at the front window,, arms crossed and tapping her foot madly. How long was that donut swilling baka going to stay out? It was already pitch black, the five moons had risen and were starting to descend over the dry planet. Milly looked up from the sewing of her overalls that had torn during work that day.  
  
"Is Vash-san still out on his walk, Sempai?"  
  
Meryl turned and smiled at her friend, before resuming her staring contest with the window.  
  
"Yes, Milly. I hope he comes back soon. It would be a pity to be caught by a bounty hunter, after all he's been through."  
  
Milly nodded sagely and resumed her work on her overalls. She frowned at her large stitches. Meryl always made them so small, how did she manage it? Milly sighed and tied off the knot, just as Meryl made a surprised noise.  
  
"What is it Sempai? Is Vash-san back?"  
  
Meryl couldn't believe her eyes. Yes, it was Vash, and he was carrying a body. A female body. And a very well developed one at that. Meryl clenched a fist, trying to fight her anger and panic.  
  
'I mustn't jump to conclusions, I mustn't jump to conclusion, I mustn't jump to.'  
  
"Sempai?" Milly's concerned voice cut through Meryl's thin train of thought.  
  
"Sempai, who is that with Vash-san?"  
  
Meryl sighed and moved to the door. The girl in Vash's arms seemed to be unconscious, and Vash looked like he could use some help.  
  
"I don't know Milly. Let's go find out."  
  
Meryl could hear Vash's labored panting as soon as she opened the door. She ran to meet him a few yards away from their front step, Milly close on her heels.  
  
"Vash! What happened? Where did you pick that girl up? What the.?!"  
  
Meryl stopped dead, causing Milly to run into her back, and nearly knock her over. Meryl's eyes bugged out as she stared at the very conspicuous cat ears and white, glistening fangs.  
  
"Found her in desert. Crash landing. Gotta get the Doc." Vash panted, stumbling towards the open door.  
  
Meryl stared as he walked by, rubbing her eyes and blinking furiously.  
  
"Sempai, did you see that? Ears! Like a kawaii little fox!"  
  
Milly's excited voice managed to break through Meryl's questioning of her own sanity, and she shook her head. Finally Meryl's take-charge nature took control, and she hurried forward after Vash's halting stride.  
  
"Yes, I saw. Vash, put the girl in the extra bed in Knives' room. Milly, go get a wash cloth and some water. I'll go get the doctor. Oh, and Vash, after you put her down, go drink some water, before you shrivel up with dehydration. Ok, is that it? Then I'm off."  
  
Meryl was already heading out the door before Vash called her back.  
  
"Meryl! Wait! Are you sure it's such a good idea to put an alien in a room with my brother?"  
  
Meryl contemplated this. After Vash had returned, with Knives slung over his shoulder, he had sat both her and Milly down and explained everything. He said they could leave if they wanted to, but the girls had chosen to stay. After all, he was still Vash the Stampede. Finally Meryl nodded to herself and walked off.  
  
"He's unconscious, AND he'll be paralyzed. What harm could he do? I'll be right back, ja ne!"  
  
Vash stared after Meryl's retreating back. Somehow he was not comforted by her words. With a sigh he turned and went to Knives' room, hoping his brother would REMAIN unconscious, until they could do something with the cat-girl.  
  
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Meryl returned after a few minutes with the town physician in tow. He was used to abrupt callings by the short Insurance Girl.  
  
"How long has the girl been in this state?"  
  
"Not long Bukushi-san, about twenty minutes," Meryl said as she opened the door for him.  
  
Vash moved out of the way as the doctor set up shop beside the girl's bed. He took the cat-girl's vitals and made notes about her wounds. The final toll was five slashes, one on her cheek, one on her side, another on her back, and a gash that seemed to connect across both legs. The doctor bandaged the wounds after treating them with disinfectant and a few healing poultices that had been in his family for years. It was too soon to tell if the girl had received any kind of concussion, her amazingly thick hair made it practically impossible. Vash had been apprehensive about what the Doc would say about the girl's odd ears and fangs, but the man didn't even bat an eye. Bukushi Ashitaka had seen all manner of deformations and wounds on this planet, ears were just another one to add to his daily log. Throughout the whole ordeal, no one noticed one ice-blue eye surveying all from beneath the covering of sheets.  
  
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So, how was that chap? What do you guys think? Go ahead and review, I'm dying for some feedback here! Well, next chapter will be on the way soon. For all you Knives fans out there, he'll be making his appearance soon, so hold tight! Ja ne minna-san! 


	2. Chapter 2: Of screams and snarls

From the Sky  
  
By, Miroku aka PyroSprite64   
  
Author's Note: Konnichiwa minna-san! Wow! You people actually like this stuff! I must admit, I'm surprised. Well, you asked, so here's more. Thanks to all who reviewed, though I question the sanity of a particular few… *cough* Rachia-chan, *cough, cough* Sugar is good. Well, here you go, and remember, REVIEW! Lol, ja ne!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
After they had bid the doctor goodnight, the three conscious adults in the home breathed a collective sigh of relief. Vash sank into a chair by the fireplace and groaned. He ached all over from carrying the weight of the cat-girl over what had seemed like iles of dunes. Though she was slim, she was tall, and muscle weighs far more than fat. Meryl gave him a brief look of sympathy, and brought him a cup of coffee and a homemade donut. He smiled brightly at her before chowing down.   
  
"Arigato, Meryl-chan," he said around crumbs of donut. Meryl made a face at his lack of manners, but felt too tired to chastise him.  
  
"You're welcome Vash."   
  
Milly sat in a chair opposite of him, a cup of coffee in her hand. She sipped it and smiled at Meryl.  
  
"You make a great cup of coffee, Sempai!"  
  
"Yes, thank you Milly."  
  
Meryl sighed, wiping her eyes to ward away her sleepiness. Milly yawned loudly, eyes drooping as she lay back in her chair, staring at the fire in the hearth. Light snoring started to come from the direction of Vash's chair. Meryl sighed and managed to drag herself out of the stool she had been lolling in. With a little effort, she grabbed two thick blankets off a shelf and draped one over each of her dozing friends.  
  
"Goodnight Milly," Meryl whispered.  
  
Milly yawned again and snuggled into the cushions of her chair, making noises of contentment.  
  
"Goodnight, Sempai."  
Meryl smiled faintly and moved to Vash's chair. She sighed at the sight of his drooling mouth, and shook her head.  
  
'Some people never change.'  
  
Vash's eyelids flickered slightly as Meryl covered his lanky form with the blanket. She gave him a soft smile, and turned to leave. She personally found her bed far more comfortable than a chair. Meryl was just getting ready to mount the staircase when a soft voice called after her.  
  
"Goodnight, Meryl-chan."  
  
Meryl paused on the landing, before smiling and responding quietly.  
  
"Goodnight, Stampede-san."  
  
Vash grinned in his sleep as Meryl's soft footsteps went up and out of his hearing.  
  
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The first thing Knives noticed when he awoke was that he couldn't move. Every time he tried his body rebelled, and reminded him rather painfully about the wounds that had been inflicted upon him by his own brother. Knives dropped his head down on his pillow and smiled ruefully. Who would have known the boy had it in him? Vash had been cowering in the vast desert that was Gunsmoke for so long, Knives had forgotten how determined he could be, when he had his mind set on something. So, what was Knives doing in this unfamiliar room? Why was he not dead?   
  
'Ah, but you know the answer to that question. Rem.'  
  
Ah, yes, Rem. The cursed woman who had driven a stake between him and his twin at the very beginning. Damn her and her infernal meddling. If not for her, he and Vash would have been able to create a paradise together. But, instead, she had foisted her ludicrous, pacifistic beliefs on his poor impressionable brother. She had blinded him from the disgustingness of the human spiders. And now, he was one of them. He had chosen his own path, and had become as weak and simple-minded as the rest of them. Knives stared bitterly at the ceiling. If only the circumstances had been different. If only Rem had not gone off and destroyed his plans. If only, if only… Suddenly Knives felt like laughing. How ironic, to be dreaming like a spider. They must have slipped some anesthesia into him, to be having such bizarre fantasies. Knives drifted in and out of consciousness for what seemed like an eternity, but no matter how many times he woke, he was still in the same cursed room, staring at the same blank white ceiling. Knives was just dozing off for what seemed like the hundredth time, when Vash came stomping and panting into the room, carrying the form of an unconscious girl. Knives watched with mild interest as various people came in and out. He recognized the two Insurance Girls that were always around Vash in his latest escapades, and a very official-looking man who was obviously a doctor of some kind. However, he did not recognize the girl lying in the bed, though with all the bodies in the way it was hard to tell. Knives wanted to order them out of the way as he would his minions, but he did not wish to let them know he was awake quite yet. He was almost vibrating with annoyance when the good doctor finally rose from his stool by the bedside and walked out of the room with Vash and the girls, giving them all instructions of some sort. Finally, Knives could have a good look at the thing that was drawing so much attention. Knives turned his head, craning with all his might to get a glimpse of the mysterious female. However, his view was obstructed again by sheets and a pillow that seemed hell-bent on swallowing the girl's head.  
  
'Damn!'  
  
Knives sighed and stopped his straining. He would just have to wait until she woke up before he could try and converse with her, maybe gain an advantage over Vash and his friends. Knives stared at the girl, unblinking. How long would she be out for? From the talk Knives had heard, it sounded as if she had crash landed. Was she from one of those hidden SEED ships that floated in the middle of Gunsmoke's orbit? That would explain Vash's interest in her.  
  
"Ashna, fitani, no vosh ka."  
  
Knives shook his head lightly. Had he just heard someone speak?  
  
"Mishna. Ovanta. Mishna!"  
  
Knives turned his head in the direction of the hysterical voice. He could see vague movement in the bed opposite him.  
  
"Fitani! Miera! Osh va na!"  
  
The voice was rising, the sheets on the girl's bed began to thrash. Knives caught sight of tan, muscled arms and long, slim legs, as well as some odd nylon-like material.   
  
"Roha! No vas sha!"  
  
The voice was reaching a climax of hysteria. If she kept up her wailing, Vash and the girls would come back in for sure, and then what?   
  
"Hey, spider, shut up!" Knives hissed at her from his side of the room.   
  
To his surprise, she did. She lay completely still. Knives sighed with relief. However, it was short lived. The girl screeched like an animal and bolted upright in bed, panting furiously. Now Knives had a good view of her, and for once he was too shocked to speak. Cat ears, slitted pupils, and fangs? Where the hell had his brother dug her up?  
  
"Hey, who are you?" Knives asked, deciding to throw caution and tact out the window.   
  
The girl's head whipped around to glare at him with luminous green eyes, the eyes of a cat. She hissed at him and staggered backward into the farthest corner of her bed, never taking her eyes off him. She curled up in a ball, managing to make her large form shrink to a fourth of it's normal size.   
  
"Mira! No mo sitani! Vosh!"  
  
Knives stared at her a few moments, dumbfounded. He closed his eyes and turned his face to the ceiling. The cat-girl stared at him with curiosity and a touch of mistrust. Suddenly he burst out laughing, startling her and making her jump.   
  
"You can't even understand a word I say, can you? Oh, this is rich!" Knives laughed sadistically at himself. "Oh, Kami-sama, you are a cruel trickster! How will dearest Vash ever deal with a cat-woman who doesn't speak our language? Priceless!"  
  
The girl stared at him as he laughed over her knees, growling slightly and giving him a look of distaste.  
  
"Cat-woman? Is that who I am?"  
  
Knives choked on his own laughter. She could speak their language after all? Then what was all that jumble that she had practically screamed out for the whole town to hear? Knives stared at her curiously. She stared back.  
  
"You, you talk?"  
  
The girl scowled at him, showing off her dangerously pointed fangs.  
  
"Of course I talk, why wouldn't I?" she snapped.  
  
Knives watched her contemplatively. This was an odd twist. What language had she been speaking? Where the hell had she come from?  
"Who, no, WHAT are you?" Knives queried in his solid, bored tone.  
  
Just because she had ears like a cat's didn't mean she wasn't human, and therefore did not deserve his respect. She stared at him, eyes blank and lost looking. She unfolded her arms and spread her hands out in front of her, palms up. She studied them for a few moments, eyes troubled and confused. She looked back up again, and Knives was startled, and slightly pleased, to see tears in her wide eyes.  
  
"I, I don't know," she said softly.  
  
With a moan that sounded almost like a snarl, she buried her head in her arms, hiding her tears and distress in her knees.  
  
"Who am I? WHAT am I?" she cried muffledly.   
  
Knives snorted with disgust and turned his head away. Obviously, she was a lost cause.  
  
'Probably too stupid to remember her own name,' he thought contemptuously.  
  
The girl's silent weeping soon turned to a feline-like keening that grated heavily on Knives' nerves, and thoroughly unsettled him. The noise was like none he had ever heard before, a mix of human sobbing and a beast's cries. Perhaps that was what made it so terribly haunting. All the same, Knives felt his annoyed anger begin to rise. He turned his head to yell at her, only to close his eyes hastily and try to feign sleep as one of the Insurance Girls came in.  
  
"What's going on in here?" Meryl asked snappishly, drowsy and disgruntled at being woken out of a sound sleep.  
  
The cat-girl lifted her head, big wet tears falling down her face. Meryl blinked with surprise. The girl was awake already? The girl rubbed at her tears with the back of her wrist, and sniffed, glaring defiantly at Meryl.   
  
"What's going on?"  
  
Meryl nearly jumped out of her skin as Vash yawned behind her. Meryl glared at him over her shoulder, before readjusting her bathrobe and placing a hand on her hammering heart. The cat-girl stared at them both, sniffling and rubbing her eyes every once in a while.  
  
"It appears one of our patients is awake," Meryl whispered out of the corner of her mouth. Vash rubbed his eyes and did a double take.  
"Say WHAT?!"  
  
"Shh!" Meryl hissed, jabbing him in the ribs with her elbow sharply.  
  
Vash glowered at the back of her head and made a face. The girl stared at him reproachfully, and shook her head.  
  
"I remember you. I saw you, when… when… ROARGH! Why can't I remember?!"  
  
She ducked her head and clasped her hands to her temples, teeth gritted in a savage expression of frustration. Vash moved forward and sat at the edge of her bed, giving Meryl a helpless look. He wanted to comfort the poor girl, but what could he say? Meryl only shrugged at him, and came into the room, standing beside Vash.  
  
"Uh, well, my name is Vash, and this is Meryl. I found you after your pod crashed in the desert. You asked me for help, so, here you are!"  
  
The girl stared at him, studying his features through slitted eyes.  
  
"P-pod?"  
  
The girl looked down, staring at her feet. Vash and Meryl exchanged looks. The girl must have had a concussion. It was the only explanation for her apparent amnesia.  
  
"Kidanna!"  
  
Vash and Meryl turned back to the girl, who was smiling triumphantly at a clamped fist.  
  
"Kidanna!" she said again, with even more enthusiasm.  
  
"Kidanna, what?" three voices asked.  
  
Vash and Meryl turned, startled, to Knives, who was staring at the girl.  
  
"Kidanna, what?" he asked again, impatiently.  
  
The girl looked at him, and favored him with a toothy grin that looked more like a grimace.  
  
"Kidanna, is my name!"  
  
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Yay! Second chapter done! Whoo! Lol, don't ya just hate cliff hangers? Heh heh heh, be warned, my public, I am fond of them! However, because of this, I'm trying to write as often as I can, so that I won't have a crowd of savage chibi's knocking on my door. Well, until next time, ja ne minna-san! \m/ -_- \m/ 


	3. Chapter 3: Seeing is believing

From the Sky  
  
By, Miroku aka PyroSprite64  
  
Author's note: Konnichiwa minna-san! Well, not much to say, so I'll get right to business. Don't own Trigun or any of it's wonderful bishies. My cat-girl finally has a name! Whee! Kidanna is all of my own make, and I will be thoroughly offended if someone takes her without my permission. Anyway, without further ado, I present the next chapter in my fic!  
  
Chapter 3  
  
There was utter silence in the room. Everyone stared at the girl, sitting solemnly in her small corner.  
  
"Kidanna… Kidanna…"   
  
The girl repeated her name under her breath, trying it out on her tongue. Vash and Meryl looked from the girl, to Knives, then at each other, both shocked and disturbed. Knives was finally conscious, the girl, Kidanna, had amnesia, and they both were feeling slightly ill.  
  
"Meryl, what are we going to do?" Vash asked hoarsely, eyes wide.  
  
He was not ready for his brother to be awake yet. Meryl sighed and pulled him out of the room with her, away from the two invalids and their hearing ranges.  
  
"Look, I don't know about you, but I'd feel really uncomfortable about throwing an alien girl with amnesia out in the streets. As for your brother, well, you'll have to deal with him later, after we take care of the girl's situation. I think…-"  
  
"Hallo! Come out, or we'll burn your house down!" a voice echoed out, cutting Meryl off mid-sentence.  
  
Milly squirmed and moaned in her chair, trying to cover her ears and drown out the noise.  
  
"Sempaaai! Make them stop shouting!"  
  
Meryl frowned at the doorway. An ominous orange glow of firelight shone through the one window. Vash furrowed his brows and walked resignedly to the door. Meryl followed close behind him, ready to give her support if needed. Vash opened the door and stopped dead. Five men holding torches and guns stood in a grim line out in front of the house, scowling at him. An old man stepped forward, brandishing a torch in Vash's direction.  
  
"Give us the youkai, and we'll leave peacefully. If not, well…"  
  
He gestured smugly at the line of young men behind him. Vash stared at the man, frowning unhappily. Meryl looked around his left side at the elderly man, and began to wonder just what side of the sanity pool he might be standing in.   
  
"I beg your pardon, but why do you think a youkai would be here?" Vash called out calmly.  
  
The man glared at him and shook his torch threateningly.   
  
"Don't give me that! I saw you carrying that monster away from the crash site!"  
  
The man turned his back on Vash and stood in front of his gang, waving his short arms emphatically.   
  
"The alien youkai will steal your children at night! He'll suck their blood, then turn them into it's slaves, just out of spite!"  
  
He turned around, a dangerous gleam in his beady little eye. He tapped his nose at Vash and winked.  
  
"But! I saw it's blood in the sand. The monster is wounded! Now, hand it over, and we'll dispose of him once and for all!"  
  
Vash gazed at the man coldly. Meryl looked up at his face, recognizing the deathly-hard stare that Vash had worn under the most extreme conditions. Vash stepped forward out of the house to stand on the porch.  
  
"And just how would you dispose of 'him'?"  
  
The man chuckled gleefully, and pointed at his flaming torch.  
  
"How else? The only way to make absolutely sure a youkai is dead is to burn their body, so there is no place for the soul to return!"  
  
Vash closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Meryl stared with a horrified expression at the man. She tried to storm forward, intent on giving the little man a piece of her mind, but Vash put out an arm to stay her.  
  
"Meryl, go get Milly and your derringers. If any of these men get by me, take Knives and the girl out the back door and make a run for it."  
  
Meryl stared at Vash for a brief moment, wanting to protest, but her experience with Vash's gun slinging abilities told her to do otherwise. She nodded, casting one last glance at Vash's stony face before running back inside. When Vash was sure Meryl was safely out of harm's way, he opened his eyes and stared long and hard at the man. He took a deep breath, drawing the eyes of all present to his face. Suddenly and quite unexpectedly, he burst out laughing, tears water-falling down his face. The men standing in front of the house shared nervous glances and shuffled their feet awkwardly, not quite sure what to think about the gunman who was doubled up with laughter before them. The old man glared daggers at Vash, angry and confused at his odd reaction.  
  
"What is so funny?!" he demanded, stamping his foot like a spoiled little child with wrinkles.   
  
Vash put a hand to his forehead, gritting his teeth in an attempt to stop laughing. He flapped a hand uselessly at the gang.  
  
"Nothing, nothing… It's just, well, come ON! You, grown men, believe this old fool's fairy tales? I mean, come one, a monster from the sky? Please!"   
  
Vash started laughing again as the men looked down at their feet with sheepish faces. The elder's eyes bulged with fury and indignation. He whirled on the men who seemed to be cowering away from the house, looking shame-faced and chastened. He gave them all fierce glares and jerked a finger in Vash's direction.  
  
"He's lying! Trying to put you off! I saw the crash, I saw the pod! I watched him carry the beast all the way to our town, into that house!"  
  
Vash had finally stopped laughing and put a serious face on.  
  
"Oh, come of it Grandpa. Why would an Alien want to come down here, when there are so many other hospitable planets? You must have been tricked by the desert. Now why don't you go home and get a good night's sleep? You'll feel much better tomorrow, I'm sure. Come on, off you go."  
  
Vash came down the steps and gave the protesting elder a little push in the right direction. The man turned and tried to start another argument, but he was closed around on all sides by the other four men.  
  
"Come on Daidoji-san, let's go back to the bar and buy you a few rounds, ok?" one of the men said, patting him on the shoulder.  
  
"But, but, I saw…"  
  
"It must have been a trick of the desert, like Saverem-san said. You know how the heat can play on the yes. Let's go get a round of tequila, it's on me!" another said, and lead the way while the rest cheered him on.  
  
Three men escorted him back to town, making reassurances and bets on drinking all the way. The one who strayed behind turned to Vash and took off his hat apologetically.  
  
"Uh, we're sorry, Saverem-san. We just got carried away by his monster talk. Didn't mean anything by it or nuthin," he said humbly, avoiding eye contact while he spoke.   
  
Vash smiled understandingly and patted the man's shoulder.  
  
"It's alright. Just make sure he stays out of trouble, ok? Get him drunk, if it helps, make him forget those mind tricks."  
  
The man looked up for the first time with a hesitant smile. Vash realized he was fairly young, couldn't have been much older than twenty-five.   
  
"Thank you Saverem-san, we'll be sure to do that. Well, goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight."  
  
Vash waved the young man off, then sighed with relief and went back into the house. The cat-girl was waiting for him. Vash almost took a step back, right out the door again. It was startling to be met with abnormal cat-eyes, even more so when they were actually at his level. She was tall. The girl stared at him from the middle of the living room, one hand holding her side where the bandage covered her wound. She seemed to stare a lot.  
  
"Why didn't you give me up to those men?" the girl asked, eyes shining red from the dying firelight.   
  
It made her intimidating, almost feral, and dangerous. Vash could almost imagine seeing the fur that had been there before. She took a few limping steps forward on unsteady legs, body slightly hunched around her wound protectively. Never did her eyes leave his. Vash turned to closed the door and serve the dual purpose of breaking the gaze that was chilling him to the bone. Vash struggled to keep from showing any visible distress. It felt like she could see everything inside of him, prying into his deepest, darkest thoughts and desires. He had to fight to keep his voice sounding controlled and calm.  
"Well, I couldn't very well let them burn you on a stake like they were probably planning, could I?"  
  
She was silent as Vash moved to close the curtains of the front windows. He could feel her eerie eyes on him all the while, searching, prying, and making the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Suddenly he felt the tension cut short, as the girl released her hold on him, and turned to see her limping back in the direction of the room she shared with Knives. She stopped at the doorway, and turned her head to study him over her shoulder.  
  
"I don't know why you didn't do as your brother suggested, and get rid of me when you had the chance, but I'm grateful.. I am in your debt, this will not be forgotten, Vash-sama."  
  
With a small, fanged grin she turned again and vanished into the darkness of the bedroom, leaving a dumbstruck and nervous Humanoid Typhoon in her wake. Meryl and Milly were just coming down the stairs with their weapons when the girl left.  
  
"Are they gone already, Vash-san?" Milly asked, stun-gun resting on her shoulder.  
  
Vash sighed and staggered into his recently vacated chair and slumped down in it. Meryl and Milly exchanged worried glances before going forward to stand on either side of him.   
  
"Vash-san?" Milly questioned carefully.  
  
Vash rubbed his face with a tired hand, before looking up at their anxious faces. For once the goofy grin he usually wore was gone.  
  
"Yes, they left. However, I'm beginning to think we should've just stitched some fake ears to Knives' head and thrown him out for them. It would make things so much more easier."  
  
Meryl sighed and sat n one of the giant chair arms, letting her cape of derringers fall to the floor.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Vash gave a dry little laugh that sounded strained, even to Milly's ears. She rested her stun-gun against her own favored chair and waited to hear the tale.  
  
"Well, apparently leaving the girl- Kidanna, that's it, I've been trying to remember…- Anyway, leaving Kidanna alone with Knives was not the best idea. He said some things to her I would have preferred he'd kept to himself. I'm not sure exactly what he told her, but I do know it was enough. It's a wonder the poor girl didn't try to escape out the back door."  
  
Vash leaned forward and put his face in his hands, starting to wish he had just left Knives out in the desert to be picked apart by scavengers. Meryl put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it in sympathy. Vash turned his head so he could see her out of the corner of his eye, and smiled gratefully.  
  
"Well, if you want, I can go find them again, I', pretty good with a needle…"  
  
Meryl's devilish smile made Vash laugh. He sat up in his seat and smiled fondly at her. She grinned back, eyebrow raised and head titled suggestively in the direction of Knives' room. Milly glanced at the pair and stood up as quietly as she could, tip-toeing to her room. She smiled as she went up the stairs. Vash-san and Meryl were so cute when they actually acted like a couple.  
  
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Whee! I love writing fluff! I try not to do it too often though, because I know some people actually appreciate a plot, but hey! A little sprinkling never hurts. Anyway, give me your feedback! I live on reviews! Lol, ja ne minna-san! \m/ -_- \m/ 


	4. Chapter 4: NO!

From the Sky  
  
By, Miroku aka PyroSprite64  
  
Author's Note: Konnichiwa minna-san! Ugh, you know what? Organized sports suck! No, wait, lemme rephrase that, the f*cking coaches sucks. All the Freshman make the team, but not me, the seasoned Sophomore?! What the bloody hell! Ok. *pant* I'm good now. Just had to rant. Anyway, fic related, right. Again, thanks for the reviews, it really helps my motivation. Keep 'em coming! Yeah yeah yeah, I don't own Trigun, I don't even own a spot on the school basketball team, *mutters* HOWEVA! I do own Kidanna the cat-girl, so at least that's something. Well, enough about me, on with the fic!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"NO! Absolutely not! I refuse!"  
  
"Pleeeeease Kida-chan? Please please please?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
Kidanna stormed down the street, one hand holding her bandana to her head, the other balancing a laundry basket on her hip. Vash trailed after her, begging and pleading as best he knew how. It had been three months since the discovery of Kidanna's crashed pod. After only a few days of recuperating, Kidanna was completely healed, all save for a tell-tale scare on her cheek. When she had felt well enough to walk, Vash lead her out to the crash site, hoping to jog some of Kida's missing memories. However, when they arrived, nothing was there. The sand had buried it, leaving no traces.  
  
"Kida-chaaan!"  
  
Kidanna growled with annoyance as she whipped open the front door to her own home and marched inside, trailing a pleading Vash.  
  
"No, Vash! You can ask me anything you want of me, but not that!"  
  
"Please, Kida-chan? It's only for a week or two, nothing more! I promise we'll come back soon. It won't kill you or anything!"  
  
'Are you so sure?' Kida thought, and snorted before walking swiftly out her back door to her small plot of land, nearly knocking Vash out as she slammed the door in his face. She dropped her laundry basket on the ground and began with vigor, trying her hardest to ignore Vash's conjoling. Vash stood beside the basket and handed her cloths to pin up, never ceasing his chatter for a moment.  
  
"But Kida-chan, it's important, and the girls could use a vacation so badly. Couldn't you, just this once?"  
  
Kida made an exasperated noise. Vash just had to throw his ace at her. How could she deny the girls? After the night the gang of men had stopped by the house, Meryl had made sure that no one would bother Kida until she was well. Meryl and Milly cleared out Meryl's room and put all her things into Milly's, so that Kida wouldn't have to sleep with Knives whispering malicious words at her. After that, they had both tended to Kida's wounds and lent clothing, all the while answering every question she asked, and made a sincere effort to help restore Kida's memory. Kida had made fast friends with the two of them, particularly with Meryl, whom she both admired and respected for her bravery and her choice to give up everything to follow her dreams. and Vash. How could she say no to friends lie those?  
  
"Oooh. FINE! I'll do it, but I'm warning you, if he tries anything, I swear he'll regret it!"  
  
Vash stared at her in shock for a few seconds, then whooped and jumped into the air, laughing like a lunatic. Kida shook her head at him and ran a hand through her newly cut, shoulder length hair, and sighed.  
  
'What have I gotten myself into?'  
  
After doing a little victory dance, Vash grinned and hugged Kida joyfully, making her blush and go rigid.  
  
"Arigatou, Kida-chan! I'll go tell everyone and make arrangements. Meryl and Milly will be so happy!"  
  
Vash yelled one last time and dashed into Kida's house, which he himself had helped buy for her, and ran down the street, waving and laughing at everyone he passed. The town people only shook their heads at him and went about their business. Three months had taught them all they needed to know about Saverem-san's unique behavior. Kida stared at her open door for a few moment, then sighed heavily and went back to pinning up laundry. Somehow she couldn't help but feel a severe amount of apprehension. The reaction of a certain human-hating plant at being babysat by a girl from space was going to be very interesting.  
  
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Knives set his crutches against the outer wall of the home he was forced to share with his brother and the Insurance Girls. With a grunt he limped mover to the rocking chair on the front porch and plunked down on it, turning to stare at the hazy horizon. The twin suns were hanging low in the sky, dipping down to surrender their post over the seared surface of Gunsmoke to the five moons that outnumbered them. A brooding look came over Knives' face, as he absorbed the new information Vash had just given him. They were leaving him alone with an alien cat-girl who probably didn't know the difference between a gun and a flower.  
  
"We're just taking a short trip to visit Wolfwood's grave. It IS the anniversary, you know."  
  
Vash's slightly accusing words echoed through Knives' mind as he recalled the scene.  
  
"Why can't I stay here by myself? Not as if I'll be going anywhere."  
  
The doctor had been wrong about Knives' injuries. No, scratch that, one of Knives' injuries. Knives' right leg, ironically the one Vash had shot nearly 100 years ago, had not healed properly. It was just a lifeless mass dangling at his side, more an encumbrance than anything else. He couldn't even feel it when a stray dog had attacked him while being forced to walk to Kidanna's house for a celebratory dinner after she attained a new job at the local bar. She was the first woman *bouncer in the history of Gunsmoke, according to Meryl. The dog hadn't caused too much harm, a few nicks and bruises, but it only proved that Knives would probably never walk again. The thought had left him bitter and listless. The only joy he could find in a day was making people squirm with his awkward remarks. However, even that was getting tiresome.  
  
"I'm sorry Knives, but I can't just leave you alone. What if something happens? We won't be back in time to help you. Besides, Kida's not so bad, and who knows, maybe she isn't human at all. Believe me, it's either this, or you get to go with us to watch us all cry. What do you prefer?"  
  
What did Knives prefer? While watching his brother cry was amusing, listening to the snivels of spider females would be more than taxing. Besides, he knew Kidanna didn't like him. Hell, she despised him, especially after that incident on the first night, so perhaps that could be to his advantage. It wasn't as if he had a choice now anyway. Vash had hardly given him room to protest. Knives sighed and leaned back in the chair, rocking it gently with his one good leg. Of all the disasters Knives had considered, this one had never occurred to him. To be tapped in a town full of disgusting spiders going about their disgusting lives in their disgusting homes, while he, Millions Knives, was forced to live among them with his traitor of a twin and two, sometimes three, (on the odd occasion Kidanna showed up for a visit) annoying females was the ultimate low. And, to be made an invalid who was being forced to walk among them, as if they all deserved to live, was a painful, insulting blow. It annoyed him, to be treated this way, when an alien cat-girl had had more freedom than himself She could come and go as she pleased, keeping them all up on late nights with her chatter. Actually, Kidanna never talked much when Knives was around. She tended to ignore him, rarely even acknowledging his presence with a contemptuous glance. Still, being forced to look on her freakish face was enough. The eyes of jade flecked amber, shining with a predatory gleam, sometimes haunted his dreams. It disturbed him to think that he had dreamed of anyone in this gods forsaken town, and not attempted kill, maim, or torture them within his subconscious. No, in those dreams, all he could do was stare, frozen in place like an animal caught in headlights, as huge faceless eyes with slitted pupils watched him, studied him, contemplated him. Knives was so lost in his begrudging thoughts that he didn't hear the soft padding of bare feet on the hard-packed road. He nearly had a heart attack when the owner of those haunting cat-eyes walked by him, pausing briefly to open the door, glance out of the corner of her eye, then waltz inside.  
  
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Meryl sighed happily and pushed down on her bulging suitcase. Milly herself was going through a similar struggle, only it didn't seem like she would be winning it. She wrestled with the snaps.  
  
"Sempai, my stun-gun won't fit!" she wailed miserably.  
  
Meryl gave one last heave with her small weight, and was relieved to hear a satisfying little "click". She patted her luggage and swung around to see Milly nearly sitting on her suitcase in an effort to close it. However, even with the force of Milly's body, the gun was still having a rebellion with Milly's clothing. Meryl shook her head and sighed again, and gave Milly a scolding look. Milly frowned unhappily.  
  
"It fit last time." she muttered defensively.  
  
Meryl laughed and heaved her suitcase to the doorway, and was surprised to see Kidanna standing there, waiting.  
  
"Hello Meryl. Just thought I'd stop by, see if you guys needed any help."  
  
She sounded just as dejected as Meryl had feared. Milly made an annoyed sound behind them, bringing a sad smile to Kida's eyes. Oh, how she'd miss them. Sure, most people in the town were friendly enough, some of the males extravagantly so, but nothing would fill the lonely void Kida was already beginning to feel. Meryl gave her a sympathetic smile and took Kida's hand, bringing her into the room with them. Kida's bare feet made a muffled padding noise, like the footsteps of a cat. Meryl raised an eyebrow at the bare toes she saw in the shadows of Kida's skirt, but said nothing. Even after a month of scolding, Kida refused to wear shoes, even at work, which annoyed her boss to no end. Kida claimed they pinched her feet, and that her own skin was enough, thank you. Meryl had been skeptical of this, but after watching Kida walk over the shattered glass of a beer mug that one of the bar's customers, (who ironically had been Vash) had dropped, without any signs of blood or shredded skin, she stopped trying. The soles of Kida's feet were a deep brown, and tough as leather. Almost like the pads of a cat's toes.  
  
"So, do you all plan to leave tonight, or early tomorrow morning?" Kida asked, taking charge of Milly's suitcase.  
  
"We plan to leave a few hours before dawn, try to beat the midday heat, if we can," Meryl said offhandedly, watching as admiringly Kida worked.  
  
Milly stood back obligingly as Kida worked her magic on the mess of personal belongings. Within the first week of Kida's recovery, she had reorganized everything. Food shelves, blankets, emergency stores, she'd even gotten into some of Meryl's old Bernadelli papers and turned them from a pile of scrap into an orderly file worthy of Meryl's admiration. The house was spotless. Kida had cleaned it from top to bottom in the next week, trying to be helpful. By the third week, she had convinced Vash to help her find a home so she wouldn't be intruding. Luckily, a place was vacant. She did all the paperwork involving the flat she was now paying for with her new job. She was a managerial genius. Meryl watched enviously as Milly's suitcase was closed with an easy "click". Kida dusted her hands and grinned, then turned to Meryl.  
  
"So, anything else you might need help with?"  
  
Meryl was just opening her mouth to reply when Vash roared from his room.  
  
"IS THAT KIDA-CHAN?!" he bellowed, distress detectable in his voice.  
  
Meryl sighed as Kida rolled her eyes and called back.  
  
"Yes, Vash, it's me. What do you need?"  
  
Milly giggled as a loud crashing noise from a room two doors down and opposite of them echoed through the house.  
  
"What the hell was that?!" Knives' agitated voice growled from the stairwell.  
  
"Ow! Kida-chaaan! Help me out here!"  
  
Kida sighed with exasperation, though and amused grin was on her face, and turned to head out the door.  
  
"See you two later. This could take awhile."  
  
Meryl and Milly exchanged glances before bursting out laughing. It seemed even Vash, after untold years of travel, still needed help here and there.  
  
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Whee! Done! Hope you guys like it, I'm already working on the next chapter. Remember, review! Happy authors write more! Ja ne minna-san! \m/ -_- \m/ 


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